How Buying a Gun Online Works: The FFL Transfer, Step by Step
Buying a firearm online is legal, but it does not ship to your door. It ships to a licensed dealer near you, and you finish the purchase there in person.
1. Order
Pick the firearm, add it to your cart and pay at checkout, as with any other online order.
2. Choose a receiving dealer
Enter the dealer's address as the shipping address. Most local gun shops handle transfers, as do many ranges and pawn shops. If you do not name a dealer, our logistics team assigns a licensed dealer near you at no additional cost. The dealer charges its own transfer fee, so ask them first.
3. We get the dealer's license on file
If the dealer has not received from us before, we ask them for a copy of their license. The firearm ships once it is on file, by UPS or FedEx with an adult signature.
4. Inspect, fill out the 4473, pass the check
When it arrives the dealer calls you. Inspect the firearm before you sign anything: if it is damaged or not what you ordered, the dealer can refuse the transfer and send it back. Then you fill out ATF Form 4473 and the dealer runs the background check. In Tennessee that goes through the TBI's Tennessee Instant Check System.
5. Take it home
Once the check clears and any waiting period your state requires has passed, the firearm is yours.
What ships straight to you
Parts, magazines, optics, holsters and other accessories are not firearms and ship to your address, subject to your state's rules on items like magazines. Frame kits and 80% frames are regulated as firearms and go through a dealer.
Questions
Can a gun be shipped to my house?
Not one bought from a dealer. Federal law requires it to go to a licensed dealer, where you complete the transfer.
What if the gun arrives damaged?
Inspect it at the dealer before you sign the 4473. If it is damaged, the dealer can decline the transfer and return it to us at our expense.
Do magazines and parts need an FFL?
No. They ship directly to you, except where your state restricts them. Frames and receivers are firearms and do need a dealer.
Sources
- 18 U.S.C. § 922 - Unlawful acts (Cornell Legal Information Institute)
- Tennessee Bureau of Investigation - Tennessee Instant Check System (TICS)
This is a plain-English summary, not legal advice. Laws change; check the sources above or ask a Tennessee attorney.
